


to warm your hands and heart

by earljun



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Christmas Fluff, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, attempted humor, falling in love quickly, hufflepuff jeno, mild dotae, ravenclaw renjun, renjun realizes that maybe affection isn't too bad, renjun thirdwheeling dotae, taeyong and jeno are cousins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29164986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earljun/pseuds/earljun
Summary: Renjun is given a week of ceaseless snowing, warm fireplaces, and wonderous cakes as he discovers the warmth of a certain puppy-eyed Hufflepuff.or alternatively; Renjun takes a day trip to Hogsmeade and ends up falling in love.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno
Comments: 8
Kudos: 133





	1. i.

**Author's Note:**

> christmas noren! inspired by the visuals in the candlelight mv :]  
> this is over a month late (whoops) but here's 18k+ of renjun falling in love rapidly and not realizing it. a good chunk of this is just me constantly describing smiley jeno, i love his smile sm T-T  
> < warnings! not beta'd, brief cursing, a few sexual references, and terrible pacing. >  
> enjoy ♡

**_five days until christmas_ **

Renjun slammed his head right onto the table in front of him. It wasn’t much of a slam, more of a _thump_ , but it was enough to garner concerned stares from his peers. The Great Hall was awfully empty compared to the usual mass of wizards it congregated, depressingly so. There were no more than eight others in the hall with him, everyone else had gone home. All students had been dismissed from the castle for the rest of the month over the holidays last Friday. It was Sunday now and here Renjun was midafternoon, moping. The Ravenclaw didn’t consider it to be moping, he was just _bored_. 

That Saturday had been a rush of excitement and merriment spent bidding his friends goodbye as they hurried home to their families. It was such a rush that before he knew it, it was Sunday already and Renjun found himself all alone. Though this wasn’t something that typically bothered the male. Most often, he found comfort in spending his holidays alone. He had spent the last few years of his life doing so, but today was just off. Off indescribably. 

The side of his face was still pressed onto the dining table where he had previously let it fall onto. His stomach ached and an odd feeling engulfed his entire chest, swallowing him up. Renjun couldn’t pinpoint the feeling but he knew it felt empty. 

_Maybe I’m just hungry._ Renjun’s stomach grumbled at the thought of food. _Yeah, that’s it._ But Renjun knew he wasn’t feeling his usual self. Christmastime usually filled him up with immense warmth, even now on his own. The Ravenclaw got lost in his thoughts of his favorite winter activity, reading by a fireplace, a desperate attempt in lifting his spirits when a voice interrupted him.

“You good there, kid?” Renjun, feeling too drowsy to lift his head from the table, raised his gaze as best as he could from where he was. When he saw who it was the brunet had to refrain from lifting his head just so he could slam it back down again.

Great, even the house ghosts had detected his distress. 

“Oh, hey Nick,” Renjun grumbled. (Nearly) Headless Nick floated above him, a look of concern etched into his features. Renjun’s gaze fell back down onto the empty table he was pressed to only for it to shoot back up when tipped his head at him in his odd way that involved (nearly) disconnecting his head from its place. The brunet was well into his fifth year at Hogwarts, but the act never failed to disturb him. Renjun felt his insides churn, that was the strongest emotion he had felt all day.

“You don’t look so good, little guy.” The ghost leaned in closer to him, examining the young wizard’s expression.

“I’m doing swell.” Renjun lifted a limp thumb up, a poor attempt in convincing the ghost he was fine. “You need not worry,” he sighed. Headless Nick looked unconvinced, rightfully so.

“Come on,” the ghost dragged. “Where’s your Christmas spirit, my friend?” Renjun didn’t know how to answer him when he, himself, did not know. The Ravenclaw let out an incoherent mumble instead. “Is this not enough?” He was gesturing to the decorations in the hall and Renjun couldn’t help but agree. Every year the castle was heavily decorated with enough to get anyone into the spirit, especially the Great Hall. Renjun lifted his head to look at the large Christmas tree at the head of all the tables, it was beautiful. The brunet was the only one at the Ravenclaw table, there were a few Hufflepuffs in their section, and even less of the others. Renjun turned back to the Gryffindor ghost.

“I know, I guess I’m just not feeling it.” Renjun couldn’t pinpoint the reason for his disinterest, but if studying along in the library didn’t help him, he didn’t know why he thought studying in the hall would’ve changed anything. It didn’t, and he could see that now.

“Why don’t you go outside!” Nick suggested, eagerly nodding along. “For a walk! To the courtyard! Across the bridge!” 

“But it’s cold,” the brunet frowned.

“Oh, it can’t be that bad! It was just warm not too long ago.”

“You can’t feel anything. You’re dead,” the Ravenclaw deadpanned, scrutiny evident in the squint of his eyes.

Nearly Headless Nick laughed delightfully, unbothered by the boy’s aloofness. “This castle has driven everyone mad,” he laughed to himself shaking his head as he floated away. He had probably given up on the boy and was off to spread his jolliness elsewhere. 

Renjun glanced at his open textbooks and disarray of scattered notes, he almost glared at them. In a few swift motions, he collected them, shoving papers into his books, and pressed them into his side as he sauntered out of the room. He paused briefly in the middle of the hallway, his gaze eyeing the direction of the library. He contemplated going back for the second time of the day to see if he could get some more work done.

Shaking his head, he swiftly spun on his heels heading in the opposite direction. Renjun noticed the sun was soon to set, the orange beams spilling into the bleak corridor. His best bet was to read himself to sleep, or at least that’s what he tried to convince himself. 

It didn’t take long for him to reach the Ravenclaw tower, he enjoyed how close it was to the hall (trips to the library were always a pain). He marched up the stairs, making his way into the loft area but almost shat his pants when he noticed another figure present. Pressing a palm against his chest, Renjun shuddered.

“Christ, I didn't know anyone else would be here.” 

“Darling, I’m always here.” He wasn’t lying. Kim Doyoung, fellow Ravenclaw, didn’t go home for the holidays either. He was a grade above Renjun and had always been so nice to him, so quick to help whenever it was needed, which is why Renjun had been thrilled when he found out that he wouldn’t be completely alone.

Renjun’s first Christmas at Hogwarts had been during his third year, Doyoung in his fourth, but his giddiness was quickly expelled when he realized just how the older spent his holidays. Alone. With his Hufflepuff boyfriend, of course, doing gross couple things that made Renjun sick from the thought. It was safe to say that Renjun didn’t see much of the older during what he called his _‘Private Time’_.

“True,” Renjun grumbled. “Never in your own bedchamber though.” Doyoung visibly smirked, understanding the younger’s connotations. 

“Fair point.” He moved closer to the younger and leaned against the tattered couch by the fireplace, his slender arms folded across his thin frame. “I came back because I missed you.”

“Bullshit,” Renjun called. “We’re only,” Renjun pretended to check the nonexistent watch on his wrist, “forty-two hours into your sexpacade.” Doyoung snorted and rolled his eyes.

“I know you think me and Taeyong spend our holiday going at it for two weeks straight-” 

“Pausing very briefly to open Christmas day presents,” Renjun quickly supplied but Doyoung ignored him and kept talking.

“But it’s not like that at all. We do other things.” That earned a scoff from the younger.

“Like what?” 

Doyoung’s chin lifted in mock arrogance. “We cuddle.” Renjun doubled over, pressing one hand to his belly, the other cupping his mouth as he fake vomited.

“Oh god, I think that’s worse,” he gagged, forcefully holding back the laugh in his throat but failed terribly. Doyoung slapped his back but he inevitably joined the younger in a fit of laughter. That’s usually how it was between them. They’d bite at one another haughtily until they cracked and would just laugh.

Renjun motioned across the room to one of the many tables set up for varied complex board games. If he had stumbled upon the rarity of Doyoung without his boyfriend outside of classes, he might as well squeeze a good game of chess out of him. Not too far into Renjun’s second year, he had decided that chess with Doyoung was the best after the older taught him every strategy he knew. Of course, he proceeded to continuously destroy Renjun when they played but he still enjoyed it.

The older recognized what the younger was asking and quickly responded with a warm smile, his black hair fell over his eyes. “Wish I could love,” his lips pressed together tightly, “but I only stopped by for a few things. I’m going out tomorrow.” Renjun had just then noticed the stuffed bag casually thrown over the couch.

“Out?” Renjun didn’t even realize his eyebrows had furrowed together. Doyoung nodded.

“Mhm, Taeyong suggested we go to Hogsmeade, switch up the weather a little bit.” Renjun nodded politely but he was still wary. Renjun briefly recalled Doyoung’s mentioning of Taeyong’s family living in Hogsmeade but he tried not to think much of it.

An awkward silence quickly overcame the two Ravenclaws as neither of them furthered the conversation. Renjun shoved his hands into the pockets of his robe. He didn’t need to be wearing it, uniforms weren’t necessary over break but throwing it on was a habit Renjun couldn’t break, unlike Doyoung who had already shed himself of his own, instead cladding himself in a dark turtleneck. 

“Oh,” Renjun started. Doyoung looked up at him expectantly. “So you’re like meeting his parents?” The older was stunned at the question and his eyes widened briefly before he waved his hands frantically in protest.

“No, no!” he laughed. “Taeyong’s uncle owns a shop down there. We thought it would be nice to stop by, give them a quick visit, you know? Plus who doesn’t enjoy a good trip to Hogsmeade, especially during Christmas.” Doyoung sighed, almost dreamily in a way that almost terrified Renjun. That sappy look only flashed across the older’s face when he was thinking about a certain Hufflepuff boy. 

But Doyoung was right. Hogsmeade was fun all year round, but during Christmas, a special glow radiated from the small village. The shops all lit up with happy decorations, the indoors warmed to the brim with stuffy fireplaces, and the streets were rarely empty as people jollily jostled around buying gifts and spreading happiness. Hogsmeade sounded really nice right about now.

“Do you think I could come with?” Renjun blurted before he could stop himself. “That is if I won’t be intruding on anything, of course,” he quickly added but he didn’t miss the way Doyoung’s eyes lit up reflecting light from the fireplace.

“Really? You’d want to?” Renjun thought back to Sir Nick’s words earlier. _‘Go outside! Take a walk!’_ He gave the older a firm nod, too late to talk himself out of it now. 

“Oh thank god,” Doyoung let out a sigh of relief. “I was really starting to get worried about you. Spending all your time inside the castle like you do, _not_ socializing.” Doyoung jokingly gave the younger a judgy look. Renjun’s nose scrunched at the last part, clearly offended.

“Oh, so you pity me now,” Renjun exasperated dramatically and Doyoung couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“With an IQ that low… I sure do.” He shuddered for effect and it took everything Renjun had inside of him to not yank off one of the cushions from the couch and bash in Doyoung’s brains.

“Ha ha,” he instead replied flatly. Doyoung beamed at him before wordlessly spinning away from him, tossing his poorly packed satchel over his shoulder. Renjun watched intently as Doyoung made his way to the door but before he could slip out he called out to him.

“Wait, where are you off to?” he pressed in the most accusatory tone he could muster. He didn’t realize it had been a bad idea until Doyoung smirked. 

“Taeyong may have mentioned that the Hufflepuff bedchambers will be empty tonight. Just like they usually are this time around.” Renjun made a show of visibly gagging as the older coolly turned away on his heel, shit-eating grin still in place. “I’ll be off,” he signaled with the wave of his hand. “Oh and I’ll let Tae know you’ll be coming with us!”

The door pounded shut behind the older from a wordless incantation Doyoung often used when he was being lazy. Which Renjun noticed to be quite an often occurrence. It wasn’t until Doyoung was probably well away from the Ravenclaw Tower that Renjun realized he hadn’t been given a single detail of what would happen the next day. He didn’t know when they were leaving, what they would do there, or how they’d even get there. Renjun was going into this blind and it was so uncharacteristic of him. 

Well, whatever. Renjun shrugged it off as something Future Renjun would have to deal with. He switched off all the lamps in the commons with the flick of his wand and headed straight to bed.

  
  


**_four days ‘til_ **

Future Renjun was very unhappy with his situation. He had awoken later than he normally did, instantly ensuing slight panic to bubble in the pit of his stomach. He had received no word from Doyoung, not that he was expecting him to come back in the middle of the night. 

His stomach growled garishly interrupting his thoughts. Renjun grumbled in response. Maybe he’d run into Doyoung or at least Taeyong in the hall though he knew well that they came as a ‘buy one get one free’ package. 

He quickly cleaned himself up instinctively throwing his robe on as he exited the boys’ dorms. The tower was, unsurprisingly, empty. Renjun made his way across the rows and rows of bookshelves, stopping at one of the many tall windows. He hovered there, taking in the morning view

Everyone knew the Ravenclaw Tower had one of the best views in the castle (it took thousands of staircases to reach; Renjun had never met a fellow Ravenclaw that _didn’t_ have good calves). Standing there, however, always felt surreal to Renjun. Everything was covered in a fresh layer of white snow, pristine and bright and Renjun could see the bustle of a few students in the courtyard, tossing snow at each other as they played. He considered giving himself a moment to take in the view but instead, he briskly turned away, making his way down the castle to the ground floor. He stretched his limbs as he trod the halls. 

Renjun arrived at the towering doorway of the Great Hall in no time. His eyes promptly surveyed the room glancing over the four lengthy dining tables. The Ravenclaw one was empty so he tried the Hufflepuff table. Sure enough, Doyoung was there, chin in his palms as he adoringly watched Taeyong viciously devour a bowl of oatmeal. 

Renjun sighed at the sight of them, at least he didn’t have to worry about their trip anymore. His stomach was still growling though so he swiftly approached them. Taeyong flashed Renjun a bright smile, his cheeks filled to the brim with oatmeal, as the brunet slid onto the bench beside Doyoung who didn't even offer a glance. 

“‘Morning,” Taeyong _somewhat_ mushed out his mouth. Doyoung hummed in what Renjun had assumed to be his form of greeting. 

“Good Morning, Taeyong” Renjun acknowledged pointedly ignoring Doyoung and his smitten expression. He reached over plucking an apple from the older’s plate. They all knew he wasn’t going to eat it. Renjun took a large bite out of it and waited for one of them to speak out. 

“Excited?” Taeyong gave him one of those puppy-like smiles everyone loved. “For today, I mean.”

“It’s not like I’ve never been to Hogsmeade before.” He had. Many times before, though, he had begun to develop the bad habit of staying in the castle for the school’s weekend trips. Doyoung would often come back, pockets filled with random foods and items he’d bought, to find Renjun reading alone in the Ravenclaw study room and whack him in the head. Renjun instinctively rubbed the crown of his head at the memory.

He hadn’t realized how much he did miss Hogsmeade so he muttered a small “I am, though,” muffled by the chunk of apple in his mouth. Doyoung finally looked his way, eyeing his stolen apple. Wordlessly, he placed the muffin that had been on his plate in front of Renjun as well.

“Once you finish eating, we’ll get you packed, and then we’ll be on our way.” Doyoung smiled. Taeyong had finished up his bowl and was wiping his mouth with the paw of his sleeve, nodding in agreement.

“Oh well, I’m ready now,” Renjun said, abandoning his apple for the muffin instead. He was already dressed, he had his wand in his robe and a light sack of money in one of his pockets. That’s all he truly needed, but Doyoung gave him one glance and it was of great disapproval. 

“No you’re not,” he deadpanned.

“What does that mean?” 

“You are not going with us like that. In your robes? You must be joking. This isn’t a class field trip, darling.” Renjun’s face contorted from confusion to offense. “Come on, let’s get you changed, we’re gonna be there all day,” he emphasized leaving no room for the younger to object.

This delayed them by half an hour. Doyoung had dragged Renjun back to the Ravenclaw tower with Taeyong idly following like a puppy, a love-sick one. Renjun fitted himself into the warmest clothes he could find in his bedside wardrobe, layering them up like a madman. He had worn a cardigan on top of a sweater on top of a turtleneck on top of an undershirt and a random pair of trousers. At least he knew he wouldn’t get cold.

Doyoung had nodded at him in approval when the younger emerged and tossed him one of the many Ravenclaw colored scarves he owned. Taeyong himself was sporting his own house with the same scarf but in a stark black and yellow. Doyoung must have ditched his own and instead, a pair of earmuffs hung at his neck. 

“Perfect,” Doyoung grinned. “Now let’s get going.” He hooked his arm with his boyfriend’s elbow and led the way. They hadn’t even left the castle yet and Renjun was already third-wheeling. He had anticipated this though and pulled out a chocolate frog from his pocket, following silently for a few minutes before finally speaking up

“How are we even gonna get there?” Taeyong had stopped to look back at him but Doyoung kept walking ahead. Students were allowed to leave castle grounds without a chaperone and Renjun did not want to face detention, specifically having to scrub the second-floor girl’s bathroom clean. “On our feet? Because if so, count me out. It’s freezing balls out-” 

“Oh shush,” Doyoung interrupted earning a nudge from Taeyong.“Before Your Highness starts whining, we’ll be using the Floo Network.” Renjun thought there might have been a hint of smugness in the elder’s voice. 

“What, how?” 

“There’s an accessible fireplace in the west wing of the library,” Doyoung answered almost immediately as if he had been expecting the question (which he most certainly had been). 

“Oh,” Renjun briefly recalled it. “That old thing? I didn’t even know it was part of the network.” Doyoung smirked almost as if he was saying ‘of course you didn’t silly’. 

“That’s the whole point.” Yeah, he was definitely being smug now. “Most don’t, even the teachers aren’t aware.” Renjun rolled his eyes but the smile on his lips was fond. He had come to grow used to this trait of his friend. Playful arrogance was a common trait most Ravenclaws inherited, often misinterpreted for competitiveness or pretension in the house.

“Well, how do you know then, smart-ass?” Doyoung remained tight-lipped, still not looking back at Renjun who was only a few paces behind. Taeyong laughed heartily when he realized Doyoung wasn’t going to speak up.

“He Veritaserum-ed it out of a seventh year three years ago.” Doyoung gasped at his boyfriend’s disclosure, exaggerated betrayal etched into his expression.

“Hey!” 

Renjun couldn’t stop the guffaw that escaped him. This was priceless to him. He could hold over his friend for years if he wanted to, which he did.

“Who even was it?” Renjun managed to cough out between his laughing. He and Taeyong had broken into an uncontrollable fit of laughter as Doyoung glowered at them in return.

“No one you’d recognize.” Doyoung had been quick to cut in. His gaze flitted back to his boyfriend who was on the brink of falling back into another fit of helpless cackling. “You better not say any more.” It was a poor attempt at sounding intimidating because Taeyong went right back to laughing. The Hufflepuff had to force himself to stop so he could lean towards the youngest of them, _‘Mini Doyoung’_ he had dubbed him not too long ago. He hummed a name through his giggling.

“Kim Kibum.” Doyoung slammed both his hands to his face so quickly Renjun was convinced it would leave an indention. 

Renjun fleetingly recognized the name. He had been Slytherin’s best chaser at the time before graduating. Renjun had watched him play a few times in his first years but only when Ravenclaw was up against them. He had long since stopped attending Quidditch matches, finding them a waste of his time.

“God,” Renjun exhaled and his mouth formed an evil grin. “I can’t believe you did that. You know, I could have you expelled with this information.” 

“You wouldn’t.” Renjun pretended to think about it and pressed a finger to his lips.

“You’re right. Who else am I going to get Divination notes from,” he pouted earning his fifth eye roll of the day from the older, but nonetheless, Doyoung laughed. 

The three wizards soon reached the library and hustled to the back. They kept their voices low even though the librarian was an old goblin who probably wouldn’t have heard them even if they were to yell. Doyoung pushed Taeyong in first who skillfully vanished in under two seconds. Renjun went next much to his dismay but at least he wasn’t first. He pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, grabbed a handful of the powder Doyoung supplied, and chanted, “Hogsmeade Village!” praying he wouldn’t wind up in the wrong shop. 

**+++**

The three had successfully arrived inside of what Renjun had assumed to be _Dogweed and Deathcap_ , an herbology shop if the rows of shelved plants were any indication. 

“Perfect,” Doyoung grinned, shaking excess ash from shoulders. Taeyong nodded firmly.

“Let’s get this show on the road!” Renjun wanted to roll his eyes but the two were already marching out of the shop and he swiftly followed suit ignoring the bewildered look the shopkeeper shot at them. 

The village was much fuller than Renjun had expected. He hadn’t thought so many people would be out and about in such cold weather but they were. Rows and rows of lamps were festively decorated and the distant sound of carollers filled the air. Renjun sighed happily watching his warm breath materialize into a small misty cloud. He smiled so hard it hurt. Renjun realized he should never ignore Nearly Headless Nick’s advice ever again. 

The three boys walk around endlessly for hours, popping into shops here and there as it seemed fit or when they just needed to warm themselves up. They had spent an awful amount of time specifically inside Honeydukes where Taeyong had bought so much candy, Doyoung had to physically force him out before he could reach for more. Renjun made them stop at Scrivenshaft's so he could survey their quill collection but they weren’t in for long. Taeyong had quickly rushed them back over to Zonko’s Joke Shop to buy what Doyoung referred to as _‘stupid shit’_. 

They were back outside and it didn’t take long for them to get cold again. The snow outside had begun to pick up, going from soft flakes to a heavier flow. Renjun’s teeth were on the verge of chattering when he stopped in front of an inn. Nodding his head at the sign he turned back to the other two.

“Should we stop here for now? To warm up?” Renjun looked back at it longingly. Through a window, he could faintly see the warmth of a fireplace light up the room as people gathered around at tables, heartily eating warm food. His stomach growled. “And eat...”

Taeyong checked the time before answering. “Hm, actually, we should probably head over to my uncle’s shop. It’ll be late soon,” he trailed off, not realizing how long they had been just walking around. The trio had left just before noon but the evening was already approaching rapidly.

Taeyong watched as the two Ravenclaws’ expressions completely fell at his words and he laughed. “We’ll eat there guys! I promise.” He hooked both his arms with one of theirs and marched them away from the inn in the direction Renjun had assumed to be the mentioned shop. 

The shop was not too far from them and they arrived in under ten minutes but to Renjun and his numb-to-the-bone toes, it felt like ages. Doyoung must have felt the same because when they reached the front doors and Taeyong had gotten noticeably more excited, the Ravenclaw let out a long sigh of relief. Renjun took in the shop. It looked like a misplaced forest cottage, but then again so did most of Hogsmeade. He recognized a cluster of Boston Ivy conquering the brick front, it was the only kind that turned a bright red during winter (maybe Professor Sprout’s class was coming in handy). He took one last look at the shop, a worn-out sign hung just above the front door, it read _Lee’s Oddities._ Renjun thought it sounded weird.

The bell jingled as Taeyong led them in. Renjun had expected the inside to be warm, but it still hit him like a train, heat instantly surrounding him. He wanted to look around for a bit but Taeyong hastily dragged them over to the front table grinning.

“Jeno!” He called. The boy behind the register looked up in surprise before a warm smile took over his features. Renjun decided he had a nice face. _‘Jeno’_ rounded the table to meet Taeyong in a quick hug. When they pulled apart the boy looked confused.

“Wait, dude. What are you doing here?” 

“We got bored in the castle,” he laughed but it immediately turned into a frown. “I wrote to Uncle telling him we’d come by. I thought he’d tell you.” Jeno shook his head. 

“He didn’t mention it…” Renjun shifted awkwardly from one foot to another, not sure what to do. The air went quiet for a moment before Taeyong suddenly spun to face the two Ravenclaws that had been behind him.

“Oh! I almost forgot,” he glanced at everyone. “I brought Doyoung and a friend. That’s Renjun.” The brunet stiffened, all eyes were on him now. 

_I should make a run for it,_ he considered. _What am I even doing here?_

Jeno was quick to put an end to his internal monologue by shooting Renjun a bright smile. He had given Doyoung only a nod of acknowledgment which Renjun concluded to mean that they had already met before. Jeno’s eyes were still on him, lips curling into a smile that Renjun found disgustingly adorable. 

Taeyong threw his arm over the boy, though he probably had a good inch or two of height on him, and motioned between the two. “And Renjun, this is my cousin, Jeno. His dad runs the shop.” 

_Oh._ Renjun figured it made a lot of sense that the two were related. They both shared that same puppy dog eye smile that Renjun found impossible not to flush at. Jeno stuck a hand out to the boy.

“It’s nice to meet you.” _God_ , he was smiling again and Renjun considered running for it again. He stopped himself but allowed a moment to glance over Jeno before tentatively taking his hand. Jeno was lean and tall, maybe a little more than Doyoung was. But his slim figure was swimming in a knitted sweater covering most of his neck, much much too big for his size. What caught Renjun’s attention was the sleek black beret resting on his head. Brown locks flew out from underneath it and Renjun found it horrifically fashionable.

“You too.” Renjun willed a smile and the two shook hands. He wanted to let his hands linger in the boy’s hold but Jeno had already pulled his hand back politely. Renjun’s hand fell back to his side but he could feel the tips of his fingers oddly tingle. He watched as Jeno turned back to Taeyong, his eyebrows shooting up.

“Oh, I should probably let Mum know you’re here.” Taeyong nodded. “Dad’s out, by the way, out of town. Said he won’t be back until later.” Jeno’s eyes flew back to meet Renjun’s gaze. Renjun hadn’t even realized himself staring. He flushed in embarrassment. 

Luckily, Jeno turned away and moved over to a narrow flight of stairs just behind the register. He stuck his head in, shouting for his mother to notify her that _someone_ had arrived. Moments later, heavy steps descended the stairs paired with incoherent muttering. A plump lady appeared at the foot of the stairs with a scowl on her face, clearly annoyed by her son’s interruption. 

“Jeno! What did you-” Her eyes fell onto the group at the door. Renjun watched as her expression floated from irritation to shock to affection. “Oh, my Taeyongie!” She was quick to cross the wood flooring, eagerly taking Taeyong into her arms. He hugged her back just as tightly, an impossibly wider smile adorning his face. “My, what are you doing away from the castle?” She leaned back and pinched Taeyong’s cheeks as he laughed. He explained that they came to visit the shop and quickly introduced the two Ravenclaws he had brought with him. 

It had only been two introductions, but Renjun (and his freshly pinched cheeks) were drained. Doyoung and Mrs. Lee had engaged in an intense topic on leeches and their many uses. Renjun’s nose scrunched at the topic and he noticed Jeno sporting a similar expression. Mrs. Lee motioned Doyoung towards the wall of what Renjun noticed to be hundreds of different bottled potions, Taeyong inevitably following the two. Renjun decided to stay behind with Jeno who claimed he had _“a cash register to be manned”._ Renjun was tired of third-wheeling the couple but what he hadn’t taken into account was that by staying behind, he would be left semi-alone with Jeno Lee.

Now, awkwardly standing with his hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers as Jeno leaned just as awkwardly against the front table, he was hyper-aware of the fact. Renjun had resorted to shifting his weight from leg to leg as he willed himself to instead focus on Mrs. Lee’s vibrant laugh.

“So…” Jeno cleared his throat. Renjun turned to meet his eyes and couldn’t imagine himself in a more tense situation. Jeno smiled at him. _“_ You’re a Ravenclaw?” he beamed, nodding at the blue and bronze scarf hanging loosely off Renjun’s frame. He subconsciously gripped at the frayed ends with one hand, he had almost forgotten he wore it.

“Oh, yeah.” Renjun felt himself relax significantly under Jeno’s kind gaze. “You?” Renjun didn’t need to ask, he already knew. Although Jeno wore no indication of his house such as Renjun’s own Ravenclaw scarf, it was pretty evident. The Lees were a long line of Huffepuffs and for good reason. Friendliness radiated from both Taeyong and Jeno like heat from the sun, he could even see it in Mrs. Lee.

“Hufflepuff!” Jeno was grinning again but Renjun wasn’t sure if he had ever stopped. “But I’m sure you already knew that.” Renjun laughed softly at that. _At least they’re self-aware_ , he thought.

Before things could get awkward again, Renjun spoke up.

“What kind of shop even is this?” Renjun had looked around, taking in each shelf and table but he still couldn’t find a connection between the items. Each section had a different type of trinket or object that just didn’t correspond. 

“It’s an everything shop!” Jeno seemed more than happy to answer Renjun’s question.

“An everything shop?” he frowned. The boy nodded fiercely.

“An everything shop!” Jeno confirmed. “We sell everything.” _Wow, what an explanation_. Renjun’s never heard of anything like that which is what leaves him at a loss. He nods slowly, pretending to understand the concept. In a way it did make sense, the oddness and lack of order had a sort of charm to it, but in all honesty, Renjun just found it weird. Why open a shop if it’s not going to specialize in anything? 

A silence encompasses the two and they were back to their awkward standing. 

“Mrs. Lee has offered us to spend the next few days here, at least until Christmas.” Renjun’s face twisted in horror. Doyoung eyed his expression before leaning back in. “You don’t have to, of course. We can get you back to the castle if you don’t wanna stay.”

“Yeah…” Renjun was thinking. “Yeah, I think I’ll go back to Hogwarts,” he muttered. Staying with the Lee’s, as kind as they were, was not something Renjun wanted to cross off his bucket list. The thought was not very delightful. Doyoung nodded understandingly.

The Lee’s had broken off their former conversation, turning to the two Ravenclaws so Doyoung spoke up.

“Thank you so much for your invite and hospitality Mrs. Lee, but I’m afraid Renjun and I won’t be able to stay.” Renjun looked up at him in shock. He would not allow Doyoung to spend his holiday without his boyfriend and with him instead and he certainly wouldn’t want Taeyong to leave his family and join them all because Renjun didn’t want to stay. So he did what he thought was most reasonable. He elbowed Doyoung right in the ribs as best as he could. The older immediately hissed in pain.

“You are _not_ coming with me,” Renjun seethed. 

“What- I’m certainly not letting you go back alone. For Christmas especially.” It was Monday and Christmas wasn’t until the end of the week. Renjun had spent many of his holidays alone, and although the older was usually there to keep him company, one Doyoung-less Christmas wouldn’t kill him. He’d be fine.

“And I’m certainly not accepting your pity either,” Renjun jutted right back. 

“That’s not-” 

“I don’t want to hear it.” Renjun knew Doyoung meant well. He always does, but on multiple occasions, Doyoung has but Renjun before himself and Renjun would not allow that this time. 

“At least let me walk you to the shop we came from.”

“Oh so now you think I’m impotent.” Renjun was playing with the older now, wanting to see how far he could push him. Doyoung recognized this and rolled his eyes, lightly shoving Renjun with his shoulder. 

“Oh shut up, asshole.” Renjun had almost forgotten there were others by them until one of them spoke up.

“Um, I can walk with him? I mean, I do know the village by heart.” Renjun looked up at Jeno in shock. Why would he even offer that? Why would Jeno want to go out of his way to help him get home? Renjun immediately shut down the thought. 

“Oh, uh-” He forced out an awkward laugh. “It’s no biggie.”

“But the snow-” Renjun didn’t let Jeno finish.

“I’ll find my way just fine, it shouldn’t take long.” Renjun shrugged and glanced at the clock by the front door. It was nearing sundown which gave him the perfect excuse to leave instantly. 

“Ah,” Renjun faked sorrow. “I should probably head out now before it gets too late.” It’s not that he didn’t enjoy his time there, he did, Hogsmeade had been wonderful. But Renjun’s social battery was meeting its demise for the day and he thought if he had to share one more awkward conversation with Jeno Lee, he’d explode.

They all nodded in understanding except Doyoung, who still looked wary. 

“Do you at least remember the name of the-”

“Dogweed and Deathcap,” Renjun recited instantly, cutting off Doyoung who continued to frown. But he knew that defying Renjun’s wishes would take plenty of arguing that he didn’t want, so he gave in, nodding slowly.

Renjun rewrapped the scarf around his neck and tightened his jacket across his chest. He backed towards the front door until a customer stepped in who Jeno immediately peeled away to tend to. Renjun glanced at his retreating figure before giving Mrs. Lee a polite nod. 

“It was lovely meeting you.” And with that, he was gone. The bell hanging from the door rang with his exit.

**+++**

Jeno’s arms spread wide into a yawn. No shopper had stopped by in over an hour so as the clock struck 8 o’clock, Jeno flipped the sign from _open_ , to _closed_. An hour early but the sun had set long ago and he doubted anyone would notice or care. He tiredly locked the doors before lazily making his way up the stairs. 

Up there in the almost attic-like floor, Jeno’s cousin was huddled under a blanket with his boyfriend by the fireplace, animatedly telling a story. Jeno briefly considered not interrupting them but he laughed away the thought and nimbly made his way over to infiltrate their little bubble. Plopping right beside Taeyong on the couch, he grinned at the couple.

“Hello Jeno,” Doyoung greeted him politely but Taeyong had eagerly thrown an arm over his shoulders.

“Done for the day?” Jeno opened his mouth to respond but Taeyong was already moving on. “I was just telling Doyoung about that time Mark charmed his toad to croak in falsetto for a month.” Jeno winced at the mention of their cousin. Taeyong was laughing but the memories had Jeno shivering. That month had been hell for the entire Hufflepuff dormitory. The thing just _wouldn’t shut up_ , and it certainly wasn’t in tune. 

“You laugh like you didn’t charm your robes to stick to your body just last week. You even had to bathe in them,” Doyoung pointed out. That quickly shut Taeyong up scowling at him instead as Jeno burst into laughter, desperate to hear the full story.

As much as the Lees were notorious for their unbreakable line of Hufflepuffs, they’re also not the best at charms. That was something almost every wizard at Hogwarts knew, and if they didn’t, they’d discover it soon enough. 

“Should I heat some tea for us?” Jeno asked after a while. He had already risen to his feet when Taeyong shook his head.

“Don’t bother, Doyoung tried earlier but there wasn’t any left in the kitchen.”

“Oh, no worries. I can just grab some downstairs.” Jeno shrugged and Doyoung laughed.

“From the shop? Can you do that?” The two arched eyebrows at him. “Wouldn’t that be stealing or something?” 

“What Mum doesn’t know can’t hurt her.” Jeno gave a wicked grin before hopping down the stairs. 

When he reached the shop it was dim, barely lit from the lamps but that wasn’t unusual. He quickly found the shelf arrayed with different teas and concoctions. He trailed his fingers over different boxes before snatching the _herbal-est_ mixture he could find. He gripped it tightly but something felt off, it felt wrong but Jeno couldn’t place what it was. 

The room felt eerie. A lamp in the corner flickered and Jeno’s stomach lurched, suddenly the shelf walls felt like they might close in on him. At this point, he was convinced he was just hallucinating. He must be. Steadying himself, Jeno smoothened his sweater over his chest taking a deep breath. He was fine, nothing was there. He was just a little uneasy, that’s all. 

_Thump._

Jeno yelped, jolting from his spot. The box of tea he had been holding long forgotten on the floor but he didn’t care. There had been a loud thud outside the front door preceded by light pounding against the front door. Only three knocks and then it stopped. 

Jeno held his breath, his eyes trained on the door. When no other sudden noises happened he allowed himself to exhale slowly as he crept closer to the door. He peeked through the windows but saw nothing. Jeno paused. Now would be a good time to think about the situation and all of the possible outcomes logically, he thought. Yeah, that probably was the proper way to go about it but instead, Jeno lifted a trembling hand to the door handle, shakily unlocking it. 

Maybe he should’ve ignored the noise and gone upstairs, but something was wrong. Jeno could feel it wrenching in his gut (which probably only proved that running away was the better option but Jeno bowed down to nobody, not even his gut). 

Jeno hitched open the door leaving a mere gap he could peak out of. When his eyes made out the hunched figure slumped on the shop’s welcome mat, Jeno shrieked. Instantaneously, he had gone to slam the door back shut but he faltered. The person’s face had looked up to meet his eyes and Jeno came to an abrupt stop. He recognized him. Jeno blinked in surprise at the boy. _What the hell was he doing here?_

_“ Renjun? "_


	2. ii.

**+++**

Renjun flinched at the sound of his name. He recoiled further into himself, his arms tightening protectively across his abdomen. This was embarrassing. 

_Fuck, of all people to open the door it just had to be Jeno._ Renjun cursed. He was shivering, his teeth helplessly chattering and his fingers so numb he couldn’t tell if they were curled or not. Renjun doubted his toes were even attached to his feet anymore. 

“Christ, what are you doing here?” Luckily for Renjun, Jeno didn’t let him answer that and quickly pulled him into the warmth of the shop. He had wrapped an arm across Renjun’s shoulders, his warm body pressed to his side as he guided him to the stairs behind the register. Strings of curses left Jeno’s mouth, curses that Renjun thought no sweet Hufflepuff would ever say.

“Shit, you’re freezing,” he mumbled. Normally, Renjun would’ve spat out a _No shit Sherlock_ , or something, but his teeth were chattering too hard for him to mouth a single word. So instead, he kept his mouth clamped shut. Maybe that was for the better.

They stopped and Jeno’s body disappeared from his side momentarily. Renjun found himself shivering from the sudden loss of warmth. Jeno wasn’t gone for long though and quickly returned to his spot by Renjun carrying a blanket he had materialized from nowhere and a small vial of liquid. 

“Here drink this first. It should thaw you up.” Jeno instructed as he wrapped the blanket around Renjun’s shoulders. Renjun laughed internally at the boy’s choice of words.

Jeno led him up the stairs silently and Renjun instinctively clutched the blanket tight across his chest as the potion started to kick in.

He felt most warm in his lower back, where Jeno’s large palm laid flat against him.

When they entered the upper floor, the floor Renjun had assumed the Lees used as their living space. He was right. It was warm and cozy with worn-out furniture and heavily decorated, but Renjun was too busy ignoring Doyoung and Taeyong’s concerned stares from the couch. He allowed Jeno to seat him right by the fireplace before the boy disappeared. But his absence was quickly filled by Doyoung who sat beside him on the floor. 

“You okay?” Renjun gave him a curt nod.

“Just a little cold, that’s all.”

“Oh, I didn’t notice.” His sarcasm caught Renjun off guard. Renjun had been expecting an earful from the older, or at least for him to be much more panicked. He had been dreading to hear it his entire way back but instead, here he was, laughing. Or laughing as best as he could being half-frozen and all. 

“But seriously, what happened?” Doyoung’s voice was much softer this time. “You look like a snow goblin swallowed you whole and then spat you back out into the Lee living room.” Ah yes, back to Doyoung’s love language; making fun of him. 

Renjun tried to roll his eyes and look offended but it was a genuinely funny remark and he found himself laughing along with Taeyong who was listening in from the couch. 

“Sorry to disappoint but the truth isn’t nearly as exciting. I just got a little lost,” Renjun shrugged it off but Doyoung stared at him expectantly, awaiting further explanation. Renjun held his gaze for a long moment not wanting to have to explain what happened, but the air between them grew unbearably awkward and Renjun gave in. “Dogweed and Deathcap was closed and I got lost, and couldn't find my way back.” He huffed. That was as much as he’d tell Doyoung. It wasn’t a lie but it wasn’t the full truth either. 

“And that took,” Doyoung glanced at the clock across the room. “Three hours?” 

The shop hadn’t actually closed, but no one was there either. The doors had been locked with a small note plastered on it with the words ‘ _will be back soon_ ’ scribbled. Naturally, Renjun had waited. He had probably spent at least an hour seated on the steps and another just going shop to shop in search of one to take him home before finally trying to make his way back to Doyoung. At that point, he had probably already lost eight toes from hypothermia. Telling that to Doyoung certainly wouldn’t do him any good here, plus his pride was on the line.

“Got stuck out there longer than intended, it was out of my hands,” Renjun challenged. He knew Doyoung was only pressing him because he was worried, but Renjun certainly wasn’t going to make it easy for him. 

“ _Doie_ ,” Taeyong groaned, interrupting the two’s staring contest. “Stop pestering him and come back and cuddle me. I’d consider near freezing to death a traumatic experience, y’know. Leave him alone and come here.” He patted the empty spot beside him and Renjun shot him the most grateful look he could when Doyoung, reluctantly, stood to join his boyfriend’s embrace. 

Jeno appeared at his side again, bending down to hand him a steaming cup of tea. Renjun had considerably warmed up since he had first sat at the fireplace, but as he looked into Jeno’s eyes he felt another shiver rip through him.

Timidly, Renjun grabbed the cup from the boy’s hold, sending him a nod of appreciation. Jeno disappeared again, but this time to hand the others their cups before returning to Renjun’s side. He sat beside him on the floor with his own drink in hand. 

Neither said a thing but after a few moments, Jeno shifted to face Renjun.

“Are you still cold?” His voice was sweet and soft, much gentler than his typical buoyant self. Renjun shook his head.

“No, no. I’m all good.” He felt bad for causing such a stir.

“Your hands are still shaking.” Jeno nodded at the cup trembling in Renjun’s grip. Embarrassed, Renjun went to press his tea against his chest but before he could do so one of Jeno’s hands gripped his. Startled, Renjun’s face burned red. He told himself it was just the effects of the potion.

The cup steadied in their hold but Jeno only frowned. 

“Your hands are still frozen.” Renjun tried to explain that the coldness of his fingers was most likely due to his iron deficiency and that he could light his hands on fire and they’d still be cold but Jeno was not listening. The Hufflepuff stood and hastily disappeared into a room nearby leaving Renjun huffing at the boy’s adamance. Jeno soon returned with a pair of mittens and shyly extended them for Renjun to take.

“I know it’s not much but it should help a bit. I’m sorry the potion didn’t help much.” Renjun wanted to tell him it had worked wonders on most of him, but as he reached to take the mittens and say so, Jeno’s bright eyes quickly shot up to him. “Oh! I could charm them to heat up!” 

Renjun instantly recognized how terrible that idea was and swiftly snatched them out of the boy’s hands. “Ha, no-no. That’s okay. Thanks. This will do,” Renjun stammered. He was aware of the Lees’ relationship with charms and as much as he wanted to warm his fingers, he did not want it at the cost of lighting them on fire (the chances of that happening were low, but with Jeno, they arose exponentially). Taeyong cackled from the couch at Renjun’s precaution.

Renjun graciously slipped on the mittens, thanking Jeno quietly. The four slowly fell into soft tranquility and the rest of the night was spent that way. Doyoung and Taeyong were lazily engaged in a conversation on the couch with Jeno occasionally jumping in, but for the most part, he and Renjun remained silent on the floor, peacefully watching the flames of the fire dance around.

The silence left Renjun to his thoughts, allowing him to think and rethink all the embarrassing encounters of the day. He groaned. 

  
  


**_three days ‘til_ **

The embarrassment followed Renjun into the morning. Although the rest of the night had gone by smoothly, the overwhelming urge to slam his head into the nearest wall still lingered. 

Renjun had already decided that he didn’t really like Jeno. The boy was much too sweet and affable, resembling a golden retriever. The fact Renjun had to compare him to a dog was already a bad sign (albeit an adorable dog). Which was why he wasn’t too thrilled to have spent the night in Jeno’s home, sleeping in Jeno’s bed, wearing Jeno’s pajamas that were much too big for his smaller frame. God, he hated this. 

Renjun assumed he was the first up, as he normally was. Doyoung was still asleep on the opposite side of the bed so Renjun silently slid out of the room in search of a bathroom. He noticed Taeyong first, sprawled out and snoring on the couch. He and Jeno had been kind enough to take the couches for the night, leaving Jeno’s bed for the Ravenclaws. 

He didn’t see Jeno anywhere but made no note of it, instead, he followed the sound of clattering he could hear coming from the kitchen. He had been expecting Mrs. Lee to be there but instead, much to his surprise, Jeno stood there. His back faced Renjun as he hunched over the stove that appeared much too short for him. 

Renjun stood there awkwardly for a moment before clearing his throat. This caught Jeno’s attention and the boy spun around to face him. When their eyes met Jeno flashed him a warm smile.

“Good morning!” 

“Morning,” Renjun managed to croak out. Jeno suffered a bad case of bed hair (Renjun doubted he looked any better), his dark brown hair that had been neatly tucked under a beret the night before now stood up in wild angles. A warm beige sweater enveloped his frame but he was wearing a contradicting pair of baggy shorts underneath. Renjun cringed at the boy’s bare feet on the wood floor. 

“Uhm, could point me to a bathroom?” he murmured. Wordlessly, Jeno pointed at a closed door down the hall, his eyes crinkled in the same smile that never left his face. 

Renjun was out of the bathroom quickly, and he had taken a place at the dining table watching Jeno as he flipped pancakes in one pan and cooked eggs in another. He moved around hastily but when Renjun had offered to help he shook his head and sat Renjun back down at the table. Now and then he’d turn back to send Renjun a grin that the boy would flush at. That was something he seemed to be doing a lot lately. 

“Where’s Mrs. Lee?” Renjun asked when Jeno placed the first plate of eggs on the table. He hoped that wasn’t a weird question to ask. 

“Oh, she’d downstairs,” he hummed, going back for the other plates. “Opening up the shop.”

“Already?” Renjun’s brows furrowed. It was barely seven in the morning. Jeno shrugged.

“Longer hours means more customers.” Renjun nodded despite how dismal it sounded. “Plus, today’s our last day open. Mum will leave tonight and we won’t open again until the New Year.” 

Renjun gladly took the maple syrup Jeno pointed at him. “Leave?”

“Mhm,” he hummed through a mouth full of pancakes. “She’s meeting up with Dad up north.” 

Renjun wanted to ask why, but he didn’t want to pry. Luckily, Jeno had already begun explaining on his own.

“They wanted to spend the holidays with Gran.” 

“You’re not going with them?” Renjun poked at his eggs absentmindedly. He didn’t know why he was asking but Jeno looked up at him and laughed so he thought it was worth it. 

_Wait, what?_ Before Renjun could slap the thought out of his mind, Jeno started talking again.

“Oh God no. I wish I could but Mum wouldn’t let me,” he said. Renjun looked up at him waiting for an explanation. They made eye contact and Jeno smiled again. Did he ever stop?

“I’m behind in my studies,” he confessed. Chuckling sheepishly, he added, “That’s why Mum was going to make me stay.”

“You were going to stay here alone just to study?” Renjun frowned. He had never gotten behind in his classes before to understand, but staying alone just to catch up sounded a little much. 

“Nah, Mum doesn’t trust me with the shop alone. I was gonna go back to Hogwarts until school started up again.” Renjun’s frown only deepened.

“Over Christmas?” Renjun himself had spent many holidays alone in the castle, but that was different. He was Renjun Huang, he didn’t have anyone to go back to and he didn’t mind being alone. It was different with Jeno. Jeno was as sociable as they come and he had a family to go back to, to spend time with. Why would he willingly turn that away to do homework instead? 

“If I fail my sixth year, I’ll have a lot more to worry about than some presents,” Jeno shrugged, cramming an overfull spoonful of eggs into his mouth. 

_You have a family, asshole._ Renjun couldn’t understand why the thought angered him so much. 

“But I’m off the hook since Taeyongie’s here to save me,” Jeno joked but Renjun scoffed silently in return. Renjun was about to get up and dump his empty plates in the sink when Jeno spoke up again.

“Will you be staying?” Renjun looked up in surprise. “With us,” he added. “You know for the holidays. I mean, I know you were trying to go back to Hogwarts and all last night and that didn’t work so I figured you’d try again today, but like, you’re more than welcome here-” he was rambling. Renjun found it pretty amusing but he cut him off for both their sanities.

“I’m not sure,” Renjun blurted. “Yet,” he added hesitantly. Renjun didn’t even know why he was considering it but he still thought it over. 

What did he have at Hogwarts waiting for him? Nothing. Originally, he planned to just escape from both third-wheeling Doyoung and Taeyong and the horrendously friendly Jeno, but was Jeno’s presence all that bad?

 _Yes,_ Renjun grumbled to himself. But despite that he found himself mumbling out “I might.” which sent Jeno’s eyes shooting in hope.

“That’s nice to hear!” he exclaimed. “You’re great company.” Genuinity oozed from his words and Renjun found himself wanting to gag at how charming it was to hear.

Jeno had already turned back to his pancakes, scarfing them down as he was doing before so Renjun dropped his dishes into the sink and left. As he slipped away from the kitchen and into Jeno’s room where he prayed Doyoung had miraculously awoken, Jeno’s stare burned into his back.

**+++**

“Where are you off to?”

“Nowhere,” Renjun hums, soliciting a scowl from Doyoung. 

“I’m serious.”

“And I’m Renjun,” he replied flatly. Taeyong chortled from across the living room. Renjun didn’t know he was listening to them but he was glad his dry joke reached someone’s ears. 

“Not funny.”

“I know,” Renjun grinned. Annoying Doyoung was one of the few things that brought him pure joy.

“Are you leaving for Hogwarts again?” Renjun scrunched his nose at that. His last attempt clearly had not gone well and he didn’t like being reminded.

“No-” Before Renjun explained he just wanted to go out, Jeno was bounding into the room interrupting him.

“Renjun said he’ll be staying with us!” It had only been an hour or two since their morning talk

“Wait- Really?” Doyoung asked incredulously. 

“Uh- wait-” Renjun stammered. “No, I didn’t say that!”

“Well, he said maybe,” Jeno grinned sheepishly. Despite his correction, the effects had already kicked in and Doyoung was curiously peeking at him as Taeyong flew across the room and threw an arm over his shoulder.

“Oh, that’s great news! I’m so glad you’ll be joining us ‘Jun. I was so worried that I’d have to give you your gift early, or worse,” Taeyong gasped dramatically, “late!” 

He went on and Renjun began to think rambling ran in the family. 

“Anyways,” Renjun cut in after a while, tightening the cardigan across his chest. He had changed out of his, _Jeno’s_ , pajamas and into fresher clothes. Renjun hadn’t packed any clothes as Taeyong or Doyoung had so Jeno had lent him some of his own. Specifically, a ragged knit sweater and a pair of clean trousers. Renjun tried not to think too much about how many times he had folded the hems to fit his legs. He thought it was ridiculous, Jeno was barely taller than him. 

“I’ll be leaving now.” That caught Doyoung’s attention.

“Now? Alone? After what happened yesterday? Over my dead body,” Doyoung frowned. Renjun wanted to argue with him, but he did have a point. Renjun still felt bad for worrying any of them. The guilt was worse than Doyoung’s unspoken _I told you so,_ which was commonly known to Renjun as possibly the worst thing in the world.

“Just let Tae and I finish decorating the stockings and then we can go out with you,” Doyoung reasoned. Renjun was still going to be stubborn though.

“That’s gonna take ages,” he groaned. 

“Deal with it, loser.” The older childishly stuck his tongue out at him. Renjun considered blowing a raspberry back at him, but he considered himself a dignified individual so he stopped himself. Jeno glanced between the two and seemed to be deep in thought before he burst out, grinning.

“Well,” he started. “Mum’s been buggin’ me for a while on getting some ingredients since we’ve been low on stock in the potions section. This would be the perfect opportunity to get it done. Plus, Renjun won’t have to wait around for you guys,” he shoots said boy a smile. 

Renjun doesn’t like the sound of that.

“Oh, thank God for Jenos,” Doyoung sighs. “You’re a lifesaver. I didn’t really want to go out, it’s much too cold,” he shivered. 

“I don’t need a chaperone,” Renjun glares at Doyoung. “This is ridiculous-’

“I’m not chaperoning you!” Jeno is quick to jump in. “It would just be nice to have some company while I run some errands.” He rubs the back of his neck shyly. “Mum always sends me alone.”

He pouts and Renjun feels his head dizzying. Is it possible to faint from a pout? Renjun promptly considers the idea. Okay, maybe it doesn’t sound too bad. 

Jeno quickly dresses and the two are drifting down the stairs. They stop briefly at the front door and Jeno calls out to his mother who’s somewhere hunched over a table, organizing little trinkets. 

“See ya Mum!”

“Wait, where are you boys off to?” she asks.

“Renjun wanted to go out and I thought I’d get the stuff you wanted,” he shouts back. Renjun sees her face contort into confusion.

“What stuff do you mean, honey?” From beside him, Jeno stiffens.

“Oh, you know. The stuff. That you've been asking for?” He seems unsure of what he’s even saying so Renjun looks up at him curiously. “Anyway, Mum we’ve really gotta get going.” Jeno grabs Renjun by his forearm and begins dragging them out of the shop. “I’ll be back in time for my shift! I swear,” he hollers just before the jingling door shuts behind them. 

“Now,” Jeno turns to Renjun with a playful grin. “Where are we off to first?” 

Renjun spent the next couple of hours at Jeno’s side as the boy guided him through the small village. Renjun had thought he had seen most of it the day before but Jeno continued to surprise him with new shops and alleys. Every now and then, Renjun would point out a turn he had taken the night before that had inevitably gotten him lost and Jeno would laugh sweetly. 

Their time was split between Renjun waiting at different markets as Jeno ran his errands, and Jeno showing him shops he thought he would like or just ones that he himself loves and wanted to share. Renjun’s favorite had been _Tome & Scrolls _, a small bookshop. He was surprised to find some of his favorite muggle books there, ones that even the library back at the castle didn’t have.

Jeno had hesitantly pointed out his favorite novel from his childhood. Much to Renjun’s surprise, it had not been what he was expecting but it oddly made sense.

“ _The Princess Bride?_ ” Renjun had teased with a quirk of his eyebrow.

“What can I say?” Jeno shrugged bashfully, grinning. “I’m a hopeless romantic.”

Renjun was surprised, but it oddly made sense. Of course Jeno was the type to believe in true love. Also to his surprise, Renjun found himself quite at ease with Jeno. He had been dreading being alone together but the Hufflepuff had proved himself quite pleasant to be around. Renjun even laughed genuinely at the boy’s poor jokes. 

After a while, Jeno stopped them mid stroll. 

“Are you getting cold?” he asked. There was an odd tenderness to his voice that Renjun didn’t dwell on. Instead, he shook his head honestly. He wasn’t nearly as cold as he had been the day before when he was out with the others. Maybe it was the extra pair of earmuffs that had been thrown at him (courtesy of Doyoung) or Jeno’s thick sweater, but he was quite warm. 

Renjun’s bare hand flew up to adjust the scarf hanging off his neck and Jeno’s eyes followed the movement. Jeno, too, was wearing his house scarf and Renjun couldn’t help but think the black and yellow suited him better than any other Hufflepuff. Jeno was quick to pull him out of his thoughts.

“Where are the mittens I gave you?” 

“Oh, I must have left them.” Renjun had forgotten all about them, but something about Jeno remembering made the hairs on his neck stick up. Something flashed in Jeno’s eyes, and for a very brief moment, Renjun thought it looked like disappointment. 

“You should wear them next time, so your hands stay warm. That’s like, the whole purpose of their existence,” Jeno ranted. The gloominess to him had disappeared in mere seconds, so Renjun laughed and shot him a small smile.

“I will.” And with a small nod, they went back to their walk.

**+++**

They were back in time for Jeno’s shift, just like he had promised. Mrs. Lee had been waiting with her traveling bag that was small at sight, but Renjun figured it probably magically held infinite storage. 

She placed four wet kisses, one for each boy’s cheek, on her way out and enthusiastically wished them a merry Christmas. She also made sure to threaten Jeno multiple times of the consequences if he were to accidentally burn down their home. And just like that, she was gone and the Renjun found himself alone with three other boys for the rest of the week. He had to stop himself from physically groaning in front of them.

Renjun, Doyoung, and Taeyong were all seated in the living room, beside the unlit fireplace. The sun was still up but it was soon to set, meaning the shop downstairs would close soon as well. Jeno was still down there, running the shop as he was supposed to. Renjun wouldn’t admit it, but that left him hopelessly bored and he knew it. 

Renjun was on a couch, leaning over the couple who were on the floor, hunched over a puzzle they were trying to work out. They had just barely started but Renjun could see significant progress.

 _Tch, losers_ , he scoffed to himself yet he found himself leaning in further to watch them intently as they worked.

“What’s it even supposed to be? A zoomed-in hairy wart frog?” Renjun inquired just for the fun of it. He was bored and that typically led to bugging Doyoung, and they both knew that. But before Doyoung could say anything rude in response, Taeyong spoke first.

“I don’t think those exist ‘Jun,” he mumbled, still focused on fitting pieces together. “You might mean the hairy Wolverine frog which is native to Central Africa or maybe the Muzambai wart frog which is also from Africa, but I’ve never heard of both a hairy and warty frog before.”

“It’s meant to be a _mountain_ ,” Doyoung cut in but all Renjun could do was stare in disgust at the older. He didn’t even want to question Taeyong’s extensive knowledge of frogs. 

“Well you’re doing a terrible job at conveying it,” he grumbled. That arose no reaction from a very focused Taeyong but Doyoung sent him enough glare for the two of them. Renjun didn’t ask about their puzzle anymore after that.

He hadn’t brought any of his books or past times to do with him from the castle, so he found himself ridiculously bored once again in a mere matter of minutes. He had searched the bookcases the Lees kept in their living room but nothing appealed to him. He had, however, caught a glimpse of a _very_ worn-out copy of The Princess Bride to which he found very amusing, but he decided not to touch it.

After his fourth sigh, Doyoung spoke up.

“If you’re so bored why don’t you go downstairs and stop annoying us.”

“I’m not even doing anything!” Renjun exclaimed defensively. He hadn’t said a word in nearly an hour.

“ _Yeah_ , but you’re sitting around here moping like a loser.” _You’re the loser_ , Renjun retorted childishly in his head. 

“What would I even do downstairs,” he said instead.

“I don’t know, help Jeno or something. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.” Renjun’s nose scrunched in disgust. Although he had shared a nice afternoon with Jeno, he wasn’t about to go purposefully seeking the boy’s company.

“Ew no, I’m not doing that.” Doyoung groaned at his stubbornness.

“You’re such an arse, just ask if he needs help closing up.” Doyoung often swore at Renjun so he didn’t even bat an eye. He figured it was the only healthy way the older knew to express emotion. That didn’t mean he was going to give in though.

“Yeah, yeah. Well, Jeno can do that on his own.” A hum came from across the room, startling the two.

“What can I do on my own?” _Oh great, speak of the devil._

“Renjun was just going to ask if you needed help closing up the shop,” Doyoung explained at the same time Renjun muttered a short, _“Nothing.”_

“Oh. Well, thanks for the offer,” _I wasn’t offering_ , Renjun whined to himself. He was definitely going to get back at Doyoung for this later. “But I closed up everything already.” He offered Renjun a warm smile that halted all the homicidal thoughts swarming in his mind. 

That caught Taeyong’s attention and he looked up from the puzzle.

“Wow, you’re only like,” he glanced at the clock, “two hours early.” Jeno shrugged sheepishly.

“It’s the eve of Christmas Eve, no one’s gonna notice.” Jeno made his way over to them and plopped onto the couch beside Renjun dramatically. “Ah, finally. No more work for me for the rest of the year,” he sighed with a dreamy smile but Taeyong just laughed.

“I wouldn’t get too ahead of myself if I were you. That’s only like,” he began counting on his fingers, “eight days.” Jeno sent his cousin a pout.

“God, let a boy dream.” Renjun laughed with the others but it quickly died down and they were back to silence. Doyoung and Taeyong were still on the floor with their puzzle, though Doyoung had proclaimed himself to be ‘ _taking a break_ ’ when in reality he had just given up for the night. He remained at Taeyong’s side though, who was still working on the pieces.

“Shall we play some music or something?” Renjun spoke into the air. It was unlike him, but he needed something to distract himself from Jeno’s steady breathing. Jeno’s eyes slit open and he looked at Renjun fixedly before breaking into a grin. Renjun felt his heart stop for a moment.

“That’s a genius idea.” Jeno rose to his feet and weaved around the two on the floor, careful not to step on any stray pieces. With the wave of his hand, the fireplace started up as he passed. Jeno stopped at the desk beside one of the shelves and began flipping through what looked like…. _records?_

Renjun stared, confused. That was probably the most muggle thing he’d ever seen a non-muggle born wizard own. Jeno seemed to have chosen a vinyl and placed it delicately on the platter. As it began to spin, their eyes met.

“What are you doing with a whole record player?” he asked, amused. Jeno shrugged.

“I can assure you, it’s much better than Mark’s blasted toad.” Renjun didn’t get the reference but it sent both Taeyong and Doyoung into a fit of laughter so he chuckled along. 

A familiar tune started up, filling the air around them sweetly. Jeno began swaying in his spot and Renjun couldn’t help but grin when he recognized the song.

“ _You’re just too good to be true,_ ” Jeno sang. “ _Can’t take my eyes off of you_ .” They lock eyes and it takes Renjun a moment to comprehend that Jeno was _literally_ singing _to him_. Christ. 

The song goes on and Jeno has yet to break their eye contact. He had moved just barely closer, only a few inches but Renjun noticed it. As the chorus flared, Jeno broke out into a stupid dance, his shoulders shaking and hips swaying. Renjun laughed at him.

“ _I love you, baby,_ ” Jeno sang dramatically. “ _And if it’s quite alright, I need you baby._ ” His hands clutch the front of his sweater as he falls to his knees, still singing helplessly. He quickly bounces back to his feet and waltzes around the room as the chorus marches on, their eyes connecting every few moments as their laughter syncs up.

Doyoung and Taeyong had both stood from the floor, probably dancing together but Renjun glances at them, paying no attention to anything other than him. Jeno. 

The upbeatness slowed down and Jeno was back to Renjun’s side. Jeno was panting, slightly flushed but Renjun figured he probably looked the same from all his laughing. Renjun couldn’t bring himself to look away and apparently neither could Jeno. Jeno’s already smile grew impossibly wider just as the chorus kicked back in and Doyoung threw an arm over his shoulder, joining him in hopeless singing.

Taeyong flopped beside him onto the couch and they sat there laughing at the singing boys. Note that Doyoung was much more on-pitch but Renjun found Jeno’s terrible singing rather endearing. 

A screech of “ _Oh pretty baby!_ ” startled both Renjun and Taeyong but they only laughed harder and harder. Doyoung and Jeno had fallen to their knees, Doyoung taking the younger’s face with both hands as he shook him wailing a final “ _let me love you,_ ” just as the song concluded. 

Their laughter didn’t seize until a good few minutes after, a second song having already started and ended. 

“That felt exactly like that scene from _10 Things I Hate About_ ,” Renjun gasped between breaths. It truly did, though it wasn’t as grand, and Jeno wasn’t proclaiming his love to Renjun or anything (he sure hoped so). Doyoung had draped himself over Taeyong, half on the armrest, the other half on the poor Hufflepuff. Jeno lingered by the record player shooting Renjun a look of confusion.

“What’s that?”

“Huh? Oh,” Renjun had forgotten most wizards don’t watch movies. “It’s just this one muggle movie,” he explained. 

“Ohh, I remember those,” Jeno nodded thoughtfully and Renjun couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s a great movie, I think you guys would like it.” Renjun shot Jeno a look. “Especially you, Mr. Romance.” 

“How do people even watch them?” he asked and Taeyong laughed. 

“Someone hasn’t been paying attention in muggle studies,” he quipped, causing Jeno to grimace. “I think they’re called televisions if I’m not mistaken.”

“TVs, yeah,” Renjun nodded. 

“Junnie here,” Doyoung sends him a lopsided grin and Renjun just knows he’s screwed, “is a muggle movie expert.” Renjun immediately cringes. He says it as a joke, it’s an inside one between them but the Lees are bound to not get it and it will only arise questions he doesn’t want to answer. 

So he shuts him down. Immediately. Renjun’s thankful he’s had practice doing it a thousand times before. (Doyoung made a habit of putting Renjun in undesired situations for his own entertainment.)

Renjun hates himself for noticing the way Jeno’s gaze lingers on him despite the conversation moving on.

  
  


**_two days ‘til_ **

The next morning Jeno had more errands to run, or at least he claimed to. Renjun didn’t understand what he needed to buy so urgently when his mother wasn’t even home to ask for and the shop would be closed for at least a week. Nevertheless, Renjun found himself agreeing when Jeno asked him to accompany him out. It was early when they left, Taeyong was still snoring in the living room and Doyoung had just groggily stumbled into the bathroom when they departed. 

A good portion of their time Rejun spent sending Jeno different variations of the best stink eye he could muster. Jeno had been acting sketchy the entire time. He’d make Renjun wait outside the shops as he did his “errands” but as soon as he’d emerge from the shop, whatever he had bought would be securely tucked away in his coat pockets, leaving Renjun no opportunity to snoop. Not that he wanted to snoop. He wasn’t _that_ curious, but he’d admit that he was _mildly_ curious. Which was why he only mildly pressed Jeno, trying to guilt him into revealing whatever he was hiding from him.

It didn’t work. Jeno had proven himself not only good company but also ridiculously adamant. 

When Renjun had given up on trying to skillfully break into Jeno’s mind and opted for silently brooding instead, Jeno stopped them in front of a small cafe.

“Shall we stop here for a bit? We can warm up and eat a bit. The cauldron cakes here are the best,” Renjun’s a sucker for cakes but he’s too occupied pretending to be appalled by Jeno to question whether the taller’s knowledge on his greatest character flaw was coincidental or not. But Jeno laughed, ignoring whatever Renjun was fussing over, and nudged him inside.

It wasn’t until they had entered and Jeno began shrugging off his coat that he realized where exactly Jeno had brought him. The pink streamers flowing across the ceiling were a dead giveaway. 

“ _Madam Puddifoot’s_?” Renjun flushed pink. Any redder and he would’ve blended right in with the walls. He glanced around and sure enough, \the tables were littered with couples. Either Jeno wasn’t listening to him, or he was just ignoring the boy, but he said nothing. Renjun couldn’t help but wonder why in the world would Jeno bring him to the cafe all Hogwarts students knew as a place of refuge for pining teenagers looking to go on dates? Had it been anyone else, Renjun probably would’ve decked them already. 

They made their way to the front table where they were meant to order, dodging a couple who appeared to have completely ditched the concept of table etiquette and deciding to makeout publicly instead. Renjun didn’t even bother attempting to hide the way he gagged. Jeno chuckled beside him. 

Renjun hadn’t known what to order so Jeno ordered for the both of them while Renjun peeled away to find an empty table. Preferably one uncontaminated by teenage libido. 

When Jeno slid into the booth across from him, placing two bulky slices of cake, Renjun feels as if he fell in love for the first time. Not with Jeno of course, but maybe Jeno’s ability to pick cake flavors. 

He handed him a small fork that Renjun gladly took. Their fingers brushed against each other lightly as Renjun grabbed it, sending the boy into a momentary fit of panic. The second Jeno had let go of the utensil, Renjun yanked his hand away feeling his face heat up.

“T-Thank you.” Renjun cursed himself for allowing something so minuscule to bother him. 

“Your hands are still cold,” Jeno said, but Renjun couldn’t tell if it was a statement or a question. 

“Oh, yeah. Well, they just always are.” He let his hands awkwardly fall into his lap. “Madam Pomphrey says it’s from a lack of iron in my body, nothing too bad.” Jeno nods along but says nothing more on the matter.

Renjun used the silence to begin gouging into his slice of raspberry sponge cake, but Jeno soon started up some small talk (well, he attempted to). It was quite embarrassing to witness, and Renjun probably should’ve shut him down when he first started speaking, but he found Jeno’s stumbling over words and rambling on the weather quite amusing. But when Jeno began discussing how the previous rain had clogged the gutters, Renjun took it as his cue to interject, saving them both.

“Have you always lived in Hogsmeade?” he asks, hoping this would rouse a more interesting conversation. 

“Mm, yeah. For most of my life at least,” Jeno hummed. “The shop has always done well here so there’s nowhere else for us to go.”

“Ah, I see. And you work for your parents here?” Jeno nodded so Renjun continued. “So you spend your breaks here working?”

Jeno nodded again but this time, he spoke to elaborate more. “Practically, but I’ve only started doing so in the last few years.” He shrugged. “Ever since I was a boy, and before I started working, all my breaks were spent with my grandparents. It’s where my parents would send me so I wouldn’t distract them as they worked.”

“You started working quite young,” Renjun points out, mirth swimming in his eyes. Embarrassingly enough, he enjoyed the image his mind provided of a young Jeno counting coins shyly at the register. “I’m sure you’ve accumulated quite the allowance from all your hard work.” It’s meant to be a heartless joke, and Jeno does laugh, but it comes out forced. 

“Ah, I wish. I don’t actually get paid.”

His tone was indifferent, confusing Renjun. “Well, that’s hardly fair.”

“Oh. No, no. It’s alright. I’m not technically even an employee.” Renjun didn’t understand what he meant and Jeno must have sensed it for he began explaining. “We don’t do too well financially, and we can’t afford to hire an actual employee. That’s why I work here instead.”

“Oh…” Renjun felt the cake go down his throat dryly. His attempt at a good conversation was not going well, he had not meant to corner Jeno into revealing family matters. The boy must have noticed Renjun’s grimace because he instantly shot his hands up in defense, the miniature fork clattering onto the table.

“Don’t worry though! I was not saying that for your pity.” Renjun’s frown only deepened. “The shop does well, thankfully. If it were to do any worse though, we’d be screwed,” Jeno chuckled but Renjun couldn’t bring himself to laugh along. His chest constricted too tightly at Jeno’s words. Suddenly, he had so much he wanted to say.

However, he knew Jeno did not want his pity, so instead, he smiled slightly at the boy. “Hogsmeade is a wonderful place to run a shop.” 

Luckily, Jeno nodded his warm smile returning to its home adorning his face. Simultaneously, they took a bite of their cakes, neither making a move to restart the conversation. Renjun thought he could get used to the silence between them, he had already fully blocked out all the other couples in the room. His focus was purely on his cake (and maybe the way Jeno’s hand flexed as he scooped bites, but he certainly wouldn’t admit that).

“So what about you? Tell me about you.” 

Renjun had spoken too soon. “What is there to tell?” he questions as he lifts another bite to his lips. 

“Everything.” Jeno’s smirk sends Renjun choking on the cake that hadn’t even entered his mouth yet. Renjun places his fork down abruptly but before he can reply to the boy’s teasing, Jeno’s already moving on. “For starters, how do you know so much about muggles?”

 _Oh god_. Renjun thinks enduring Jeno’s flirting would be better than answering the question. It must be instant karma. He had, albeit accidentally, forced Jeno into a deep conversation, and now it was his turn.

“It’s quite the long story,” he tries to argue but Jeno just smiles at him.

“I’ve got all the time in the world.” 

Renjun opens his mouth to protest but Jeno has already clasped his hands together atop the table and leaned forward to watch Renjun, intently waiting for a response. Renjun decides to go for it. If Jeno could open up to him easily, he could do the same.

“Well, when I was a baby, I was orphaned. I don’t remember anything from the time but I was taken in by an old couple, Mr. and Mrs. Huang. Mrs. Huang passed away not too long after that though, so I don’t remember much of her at all, but Father raised me well enough on his own. Oh, I forgot the most important part, Father was a muggle. His wife, however, wasn’t. She was a witch just as I am.” Renjun found himself smiling softly to himself. “That’s why Father had been so excited when we found out that I was a wizard too. I’ve never seen him smile as bright as he did when we received my acceptance letter to Hogwarts.”

He caught Jeno smiling with him and immediately pulled himself out of his memories. “Erm, so, yeah. I was raised in the muggle world, by a muggle. That’s why I know so much,” he mumbled. 

Jeno nodded politely. “Do you typically go back for visits?”

“No, not anymore.” Renjun pressed his lips together tightly. “He passed away back in my third year.”

Jeno’s smile faded and his gaze went soft. “Oh, I’m sorry.” 

Renjun shook his head and smiled. “No need. I’m sure he’s doing quite well up there right now,” he gave a light chuckle but couldn’t help when his gaze fell to Jeno’s hands that had twitched abruptly. Weird. 

Their conversation had shifted topic to topic from there. Eventually, they landed on a discussion of purebloods and half-bloods. 

“I just think half-bloods are much cooler than us purebloods,” Jeno sighed dreamily. That greatly confused Renjun. Why would he think that? Nobody does, not even Renjun. Weren’t all wizards essentially the same?

“What do you mean?” 

“When you think about it, it’s kind of like they won?”

“Won?”

“Well, they have a fifty-fifty chance of being a wizard or not. Don’t you think that’s cool? They practically won the gene pool lottery or something. Isn’t that sick?” Renjun laughed, that was such a Jeno way to see things.

“There’s nothing wrong with ending up muggle either though,” he chuckled.

“I didn’t say that there was,” Jeno defended before mumbling, “It’s common sense though.” Renjun laughed harder this time. 

“Hey, hey! Don’t laugh I’m serious,” Jeno pouted but Renjun found himself unable to stop. “There are so many more perks to being a wizard than a muggle and you know it.”

“Like?” Renjun pressed. He agreed with Jeno but he was still curious about what he had to say.

“Well, like,” Jeno thought hard. “We can charm things and stuff.” Renjun had finally controlled his laughter but that sent him right back over the edge.

“But you’re a wizard and you can’t even do that properly,” he cackled. 

Jeno blushed a furious red. “Hey!” he shouted but he had still laughed along with him.

Their laughter was short-lived though, as Madam Puddifoot herself had made haste of kicking them out after they had “ _caused too much of a commotion,_ ” she scorned.

Their laughter carried on as they slunk away, Jeno’s arm thrown over the shorter’s smaller frame, both clutching their bellies. They continued, going further and further away together until the cafe was a mere particle of dust behind them. 


	3. iii.

**_christmas day_ **

Christmas Eve passed by in a flurry and before he knew it, Renjun was waking up on Christmas morning. Well, he wasn’t voluntarily waking up, more like he was being shaken awake. Renjun let out a rough groan from the back of his throat, hoping his “shaker” would get the message and leave him alone. When it didn’t stop, he spoke up. 

“Fuck off Do,” he croaked, rolling over onto his side, concluding that only Doyoung would be merciless enough in the morning to rouse him. Just as he was about to angrily pull the blanket over his head, a sweet laugh broke out. A sweet, sweet laugh. Far too sweet to be Doyoung’s. _Fuck_.

Renjun’s eyes sprung open, any tiredness on his face dissipated instantaneously. He found himself face to face with, of course, Jeno Lee. 

A teasing smile was plastered on Jeno’s face as he leaned over Renjun, his dark hair falling over his face. Jeno was unbearably close, if he leaned down only an inch, his hair would tickle Renjn’s cheek. He suddenly became very aware of Jeno’s body weight on top of him. 

“Morning,” Jeno whispered through a smirk. 

“Oh, uh— you too.” Renjun was definitely awake now. He was about to raise his arms to Jeno’s chest in an attempt to push him off when the boy abruptly pulled back, raising a finger to his lips in a shushing motion. 

He motioned towards Doyoung who was still sleeping soundly beside him. Renjun envied him for a moment before remembering that he wasn’t the one Jeno had been leaning over. Renjun internally smacked himself for that one. 

“Come on, let’s go.” 

Renjun quirked a brow at him as if to say, _Why the fuck have you woken me up?_ He hoped the message reached him, but Jeno said nothing more as he pulled Renjun to his feet and dragged him out of the room. He wanted to complain that this was an invasion of his privacy and he deserved to sleep another hour, but it was, after all, Jeno’s house and he had been sleeping in Jeno’s bed (in Jeno’s pajamas too), so he kept his mouth shut. 

Jeno pointed him to the bathroom and said, “Wash up, I’ll get everything ready.”

“Ready? What for?” Renjun was beyond puzzled. Jeno’s wicked grin certainly did not help.

“Baking, of course.” With that, he slipped away, leaving Renjun alone at the bathroom doorway. Great. 

**+++**

Baking was exactly what they did. Jeno had insisted on it, saying that it was Christmas morning tradition. Renjun tried arguing that the title belonged more to opening presents, but it had been to no avail. He had learned the hard way that arguing with Jeno was like yelling at a brick wall.

Renjun was near elbow deep in red velvet cake mix when the oven timer went off, signaling the sugar cookies were ready to be pulled out. He quickly wiped his hands across the chest of his apron and reached for one of the oven mitts. 

“Move over Heffalump, I need to get the cookies.” He was referring to the Hufflepuff of the room, who was unceremoniously blocking the oven as he leaned over the stove mixing some god-awful concoction that was supposedly meant to be ‘frosting’. 

Jeno shot him a hurt look. “Rude. All you Ravenclaws are the same,” he grumbled but he still moved to the side, allowing Renjun access to the steaming cookies. As he placed the tray over a towel to cool down, Renjun smiled delightfully at his hard work.

Despite Jeno being the one who insisted on baking, Renjun had ended up doing nearly all of the work. Jeno had proven himself quite possibly the worst baker Renjun had the pleasure of encountering, which was why he had been assigned to frosting duty. Renjun figured that was something he couldn’t mess up as badly as he had done to the first batch of cookies they had attempted which had come out far too salty and gooey to be deemed edible, so Renjun had thrown them out and started anew. The last two batches were perfect in Renjun’s humble opinion, but he believed that was only because he hadn’t allowed Jeno to touch a single thing, only stirring or whisking when told to. However, Jeno had a knack for proving Renjun wrong. He realized that as he peered into the bowl of frosting Jeno had been whisking away at, only to cringe at the sight of it. It was far too clumpy and thick and Renjun was truly amazed at how he had managed to ruin it but refrained from commenting on it.

“Perfect. Once we finish this cake, we’ll be all set. The frosting looks… I’ll take it from here.” He grabbed the bowl from Jeno’s grip and nodded back at the stove. “Can you cook us some eggs? The others will be up soon and we haven’t eaten breakfast ourselves.”

Jeno nodded eagerly. “Yes, sir.” He dropped the spoon he was using before moving over to the cupboards. When Renjun’s job was finally complete, he heaved a sigh and leaned against the counter with his arms loosely crossed over his apron. Jeno was hunched over the stove again, his eyes on the sizzling eggs as a comfortable quietness consumed them. It was the first one all morning. While they had been baking, Jeno had made sure to keep Renjun talking. He asked all sorts of questions, and when one conversation ended, he was quick to start up another one with a new inquiry. 

Jeno mainly asked about the muggle world. Jeno had played it off saying that he just needed ‘practice’ for his muggle studies class that he was supposedly failing. Renjun was doubtless that Jeno was indeed failing the class, but he also knew that the Hufflepuff had no intention of truly improving his grades. In _muggle studies_ , nonetheless. 

But Renjun, being Renjun, loved to talk on topics he was knowledgeable of and talk is what he did. He told Jeno as much as he could of the muggle world, and how they made up for their lack of magic with all sorts of technologies. He enjoyed the way the boy’s eyes lit up at new things. 

At one point, once Renjun had finished his tangent on fax machines, Jeno huffed out, “Why do we wizards even bother with magic anymore? Muggles have practically caught up with their science magic.”

Renjun laughed agreeably. “If it makes you feel better, they still have to do their dishes by hand despite their silly dishwashing machines.”

Jeno had perked at that. He grinned and said, “Oh, I feel better already.”

The other two woke up much later than expected. Renjun and Jeno and long finished their breakfast by the time the others were seated at the dining table but they all sat together regardless. The only thing that kept Renjun entertained were the glances he’d give Jeno only to catch the boy longingly staring out into the living room like a sad puppy. Each time Rejun would follow his gaze only to land on the heap of unopened, poorly wrapped presents under their tree. 

His eagerness was soon relinquished though as the four boys found themselves filing into the living room, their dishes long forgotten and magically scrubbing away at themselves. Renjun took a seat on the rug beside Doyoung’s legs as the Lees hacked away at the gifts. There weren’t very many, only six or so. Jeno, Taeyong, and Doyoung all exchanged gifts with each other, laughing amongst each other. 

Only one present was from Renjun. He had purchased it last minute from one of the shops and did well to hide it from Jeno until it was slyly slipped beside the tree. It was, unsurprisingly, the most neatly wrapped box amongst the others, but on the side, he had hastily scribbled in slanted handwriting _‘DoTae’_. Having not been expecting to spend his Christmas in Hogsmeade, his real gifts for the two remained at Hogwarts for the time being. He’d just give it to them once they returned.

His gift was one of the last to be opened but when Taeyong grabbed it he gasped. “Oh, babe, I think it's for both of us!” Doyoung stood up to walk over to him but not before sending both Jeno and Renjun a suspicious look. 

“Which one of you…” he trailed off as Taeyong began to rip at the wrapping. When the present came to view, Renjun watched as the smile fell clear off Taeyong’s face.

“Is- Is this a-”

“Frog puzzle?” Doyoung finished his question incredulously.

Renjun let out a snort. He had gotten it as a joke, so he wasn’t prepared when Taeyong flung across the room and pulled him into a tight hug. “I love it.”

Doyoung pinched his cheek as Taeyong scrambled away to grab his gift for Renjun. Renjun was very surprised to find the very book he had been dying to buy for months. He knew Doyoung had most likely been the one to pick it out so he gave them each a small hug (of course, Doyoung pinched his waist when he did but Renjun still deemed it worth it). That was the only gift Renjun received and he was quite content with it. Doyoung had already given him his gift a month prior and Jeno didn’t seem to have anything for him. Not that Renjun was expecting a gift from him. He definitely wasn’t. Renjun was quite grateful Jeno didn’t get him anything because he hadn’t gotten the Hufflepuff anything and it would’ve been unbearably awkward if he had.

When they were all done, two gifts remained at the bottom of the pine tree to which Jeno had sheepishly explained they were his gifts to his parents and he had forgotten to give to them before they left. From there the four fell into a soothing lull. Renjun hadn’t even noticed the light music playing until Jeno moved to turn it up.

“Sinatra? Again?” Renjun laughed as Jeno wiggled his hips in reply. He was terrible at dancing and it showed. 

“Gotta make use of the record,” Jeno defended with a pout but he danced on. The song ended and another track from the album began to play, but it was much slower. Taeyong had pulled Doyoung into a smooth sway making Renjun cringe at the sight. He cringed even harder when Jeno stopped in front of him.

Jeno gave a dramatic bow before extending his hand elegantly to Renjun. “May I have this dance, your excellency?” 

“W-what?” Renjun faltered, feeling the air stop dead in his chest. Jeno lifted his head from his bow, showcasing a playful grin. 

“This song, will you dance with me?”

“Oh, I- er…” Just the thought of dancing with Jeno leaves him blushing furiously. Jeno stands from his bow and shoots Renjun a small frown. 

“Have you never slow danced before?” His outstretched hand remained persistent.

“Oh well, no.” Renjun wanted to punch himself. He was immensely thankful Doyoung was occupied at the moment or else the seventh year would have fallen off the couch from laughter. “Not with a boy at least,” he added grumbling. 

Jeno’s frown deepened for the slightest second before it shot back into a bright smile. “Oh well, no worries! There’s a first time for everything.” Renjun noticed his hand twitch momentarily like he was considering retracting his offer but instead he only outstretched it further. “Would you still like to give it a go? I could teach you if you’d like.”

_Say no, say no, say no, say-_

“Uh, sure.” Renjun truly hated himself. Why did he even agree? Nonetheless, he timidly slipped his hand into Jeno’s, solely because he felt bad for how long it had been hanging in the air. Jeno pulled him up and led them away from the couch, stopping a few feet away from where they lacked any chance of bumping into any furniture.

Renjun stood awkwardly for a few moments before clearing his throat. “So, am I the guy or girl in this?” he mumbled, sending Jeno into a near fit of hysterical laughter.

“We’re both guys, dummy.”

Renjun became a stuttering mess. “I, well- I know that, of course!” His face was burning with heat so he dropped his gaze to the space of wood floors between them. “I just meant-”

“I know what you meant,” Jeno cut him off with a warm smile. At that moment, Renjun wished he fit the Ravenclaw stereotype. He was smart, he knew that, but maybe if he had been more elaborate and thought before he spoke, he wouldn’t find himself in such _terrible_ situations. 

The feeling of two hands sliding onto his waist jolted Renjun from his thoughts. Shocked, he looked back into Jeno’s smiling eyes. Jeno’s fingertips ghosted his lower back, his large palms rested diligently at the curve of his waist, ready to pull him into a gentle dance. Renjun hated how unnecessarily aware of the taller’s touch he had suddenly become.

“I’ll guide us.” Jeno said it with such a twinkle in his eyes that Renjun truly wanted the earth to swallow him whole.

**+++**

Dancing with Jeno had been fairly easy. If not for the embarrassment that filled him each time their eyes met, Renjun might have even dared to call it relaxing. Jeno’s hold was gentle and almost sweet if a hold could even be considered such a thing. And although Jeno had proved to be quite a bad dancer, swaying seemed right up his alley. Long after, Renjun could still feel the light pressure of Jeno’s hands where they had rested on his waist. He hated the way his face heated up just from the thought. He was once again lost in the image of Jeno’s warm smile tilted down at him, at such proximity when a nudge came from his left side.

“It’s your turn,” Jeno whispered from behind a hand. 

“Huh,” Renjun hummed dumbly. “Oh.” Embarrassed, he nimbly scooped up the dice and shook them briefly before releasing them back onto the gameboard Taeyong had set up on the floor. 

_Snake eyes._ “Drat!” Renjun moved his pieces accordingly and probably would’ve continued into a string of curses if Jeno hadn’t broken into a smooth chuckle.

“You make winning so easy,” the Hufflepuff smirked when he rolled two sixes, winning him the game. Doyoung and Renjun let out simultaneous groans. 

“That’s it, I give up!” Renjun grunted as Doyoung knocked over all the remaining pieces. It had been their sixth round, neither Ravenclaw winning a single game that night. Taeyong and Jeno, however, were on a winning streak. 

Taeyong clapped his cousin on the back heavily. “It’s the Lee blood,” he cackled sinisterly in a manner that matched Jeno’s smug look.

“I’d say you guys charmed the dice but lord knows you wouldn’t be able to,” Doyoung grumbled, eliciting a chuckle from Renjun despite his sour mood.

“Don’t be so cynical, Doie.”

Moments later, Taeyong had abandoned Jeno’s side to pull his boyfriend into a headlock. Jeno took it as an opportunity to slide closer to Renjun and the boy jumps when he turns back to find him leaning in. 

“Follow me?” 

It takes Renjun a moment to comprehend what Jeno was asking. It took him even longer to respond. He was too lost in the boy’s hopeful eyes, watching as they reflected the flames of the fireplace. Even the shadows danced over his face, accentuating each curve and dip of Jeno’s smiling face. His hand twitched with the sudden urge to trace over his cheekbones. 

Renjun gulped. “Sure,” he responded, but it came out dry and hoarse. Jeno must have noticed for he was already up onto his feet, tugging on Renjun’s hand to pull him up as well. As soon as he was stable on his feet, Jeno released his hand and turned back awkwardly. They both stumble a bit, having to dodge both the arguing couple on the floor and stray pieces from board games and puzzles, but they eventually make it into the hallway where Jeno pulled him into one of the bedrooms. Renjun eyed the narrow bed and recognized it as the parent bedroom. He knew it was the only other bedroom in their home aside from Jeno’s. Still, he asks, “Where are we?”

Jeno flashes a shy smile and wordlessly leads Renjun to a large window across the room. With a light tug, the glass panels separate. Renjun hears Jeno let out a soft sigh as he pressed his body against the wall, his face pointing up to the night sky. Jeno nods at him to do the same but Renjun can’t get himself to tear his gaze from the boy yet.

Jeno lets out a hum. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” 

“Yeah,” Renjun replied breathlessly, but he had not once glanced out the window. He was sure the stars looked breathtaking, but he knew Jeno could rival them. Renjun wanted to curse himself for thinking so, but he couldn’t help it. Jeno’s eyes slit close, his face upturned heavenward as a small smile danced across his moonlit expression. Wisps of his dark, shining hair, cascaded across his temples, curling around his ears. Renjun began noticing things he had never noticed before. 

As Jeno let out another content hum, Renjun reveled in a newfound discovery. A discovery that made his heart lurch. Jeno Lee wasn’t just a handsome face. Jeno Lee wasn’t just smiley Hufflepuff. No, he was much more than that. Renjun couldn’t quite place it yet though, what Jeno truly was, but he wanted to learn. He wanted to learn everything there was to Jeno so badly his hands clenched at his sides and he could feel his knees begin to tremble. For the moment though Renjun was satisfied with the one thing he did know about the boys. Jeno was beautiful. Inside and out. And if that were to be the last thing he’d ever learn in his lifetime, Renjun believed he’d be more than content. Even if he was never given the opportunity to learn more about the boy, to know him better, to be with him more, Renjun’s satisfied with what the time he’s had. 

Jeno’s eyes abruptly slit open, startling Renjun. He’s quick to shift his stare out the window but Jeno’s already side-eyeing him. When the boy begins to chuckle, Renjun knows he’d been caught staring. Flushing red, he leans further over the windowpane, letting the cold night air slap his burning face. _How embarrassing_ , he thinks to himself.

“Renjun,” Jeno’s low voice echoed through the silence. 

Renjun hummed in acknowledgment but kept his gaze to the heavens in an attempt to appear as if he was appreciating the night sky. He found it considerably hard to do when a certain boy occupied every current thought of his. 

“Look at me.” His voice was surprisingly assertive, but in the gentle style Jeno always upheld. Hesitantly, Renjun turned back to face the boy and cocked an eyebrow questioningly. He watched as the corners of Jeno’s lips slowly curled into a smug grin. Jeno’s gaze had bored into his eyes for long moments before he turned away completely, but not before Renjun’s stomach dropped at his action. It had been so sudden and brief, that he was convinced he had imagined it. But he hadn’t, he was sure. Jeno’s gaze _had_ dropped to lips. That he had not imagined, but with the way his blood began to pound in his ears, he began to wish he had. 

“Oh! I almost forgot,” Jeno was quick to move on. His back was now to the window as he pushed himself away from the windowsill. 

“What?” Renjun could still feel the heat burn across his face. He watched as Jeno tugged open a drawer, pulling something out. Renjun squinted to identify the item but it was out of his line of sight as Jeno’s broad stature loomed over the dresser. With a swift, sudden movement, Jeno had spun around to face Renjun, the item now smoothly hidden behind his back. “What do you have there?” Renjun had attempted to sound bold, but his voice came out weak and hoarse utterly failing him and nearly cracking in the process. 

Luckily, Jeno didn’t notice or at least didn’t show any indication that he cared. Rather he gave Renjun a small smirk as he took slow, tantalizing strides towards him, only stopping until only a mere foot of space remained between them. Renjun figured he’d need an extra foot just in case his knees actually did buckle. 

“I, uh-” Jeno’s temerity crumbled almost instantaneously as his smirk faded into a shy curve. “I got you a present.” He revealed a wrapped gift from behind his back. Renjun wouldn’t have called it a box, though it did take a similar shape, it was more of a knobby chunk. When Renjun simply stared at it in bewilderment, Jeno rushed to add, “It’s not much of course! Just a small something.” 

Renjun tentatively brought the wrapped lump into his hands. It was flimsy and terribly wrapped, but he still had to bite his inner cheeks to stop the grin from growing on his face. He tore apart the wrapping paper as neatly as his shaky fingers could do so. Two woven pockets came into view and Renjun stared at them even more confused.

“Look,” Jeno grabbed one of the pockets from Renjun’s palm and flipped it upside down. Out slid a plastic container filled with a gel substance. He waved at Renjun, laughing as he watched the boy’s expression go from confusion to shock and then back to confusion.

“Are those-”

“Mhm,” Jeno hummed. “They’re hand warmers.” 

Renjun was overwhelmed. “I know, they’re _muggle_ ones. Where’d you even get those?” Jeno shrugged cheekily. “No place here sells them.” He arched a brow at the boy who remained smugly silent before sighing. “My grandfather used to put these in my coat pockets every winter when I was younger.” 

Jeno’s gaze went soft but he still gave a soft laugh. “Then I take it this has always been a problem of yours?”

“What problem?” Renjun questioned but quickly came to regret it as Jeno’s rough hand slid to lift his free hand.

“Your hands. They’re always so cold.” Renjun prayed his fingers weren’t still trembling. “I figured these hand warmers would be of good use to you since my mittens apparently weren’t,” Jeno joked. “I hoped they’d warm your hands.” Oddly enough, Renjun felt his chest warm instead. “They’re probably much safer than anything I could charm anyway.”

Renjun snorted. “Hm, probably,” he agreed and gave Jeno a pleased glance. “I love them by the way. Thank you,” Renjun declared, hoping the Hufflepuff could sense his sincerity. He nearly forgot Jeno was still holding his hand.

“Of course,” Jeno whispered with a beaming smile. “I’m glad you like it. It took quite some asking around to get.” 

“Wait a minute.” Renjun squinted making Jeno become alarmed. “You mean to tell me, I spent all that time waiting out in the cold while you were in search of hand warmers for me?” Jeno let out a sound suspiciously close to a squeak.

“Well, um…” He trailed off abashedly.

“Sounds a bit counterproductive to me.”

“Tch, whatever,” the Hufflepuff scoffed. Renjun saw the tips of his ears go red and laughed as Jeno mumbled to himself. “In my defense, I did give you mittens. You just didn’t wear them.” Renjun chortled once more before he pulled Jeno into an embrace. His arms draped over the taller’s shoulders as he pulled him in close.

“Thank you,” he muttered one last time. Jeno gave him a light squeeze before pulling away and showcasing his warm smile. The room was still dark, only barely lit by moonlight, but Renjun could still make out the warm tint dusting Jeno’s cheeks and figured he probably looked the same.

“Wow, I feel terrible now knowing that I didn’t give you anything.” 

“Oh no, no! Don’t,” Jeno sputtered. “Please don’t at all. I don’t mind. It was kinda inappropriate for me to have gotten you a gift anyway considering we’ve only known each other a few days.”

“Fair,” Renjun chuckled. “I’ll most definitely have to buy your mother at least a rose bouquet in appreciation. We did sort of invade your home after all.” 

Jeno didn’t laugh but instead gave Renjun a meaningful look. “You’re welcome here anytime.” He meant a lot with those words, Renjun could tell. Feeling his chest flutter, he gave Jeno a wordless smile not knowing what to say anymore. 

They fell back into a comfortable silence, unknowingly having drifted back to the open window. Renjun gave the moon a final glance.

“Well, it’s gotten pretty late. I should probably retire for the night,” Renjun muttered. He shifted to face Jeno and watched as the boy slowly turned around.

“I’ll walk you,” Jeno nodded calmly. Renjun suppressed a laugh and gave a dramatic gasp, one of his hands pressed over his heart.

“And they say chivalry is dead!” 

“Oh, move along Huang,” Jeno exasperated through a chuckle. 

They reached Jeno’s room far too quickly and Renjun found himself dreading to say goodnight. “Thank you, for today,” he said. “Really.” 

Jeno nodded blithely. “Merry Christmas.”

“You too,” Renjun grinned. He allowed himself a final glance into Jeno’s warm gaze before turning to enter the bedroom. A sudden grip on his wrist halted him from any further movements.

“Renjun, wait.” Renjun softly spun around as Jeno took a step closer to him, eliminating almost all of the space between them. The hold on his wrist dropped and was replaced with Jeno’s large hand gently sliding up the side of Renjun’s neck, resting just over his ear and covering most of his cheek. Jeno halted momentarily, but slowly, very slowly, he began to lean forward. His eyes fluttered close and he couldn’t tell if Jeno’s hand was guiding his face closer or if he was leaning in on his own. Jeno paused, his warm breath fanned over Renjun’s face, _Renjun’s mouth_. 

“Can I?” He didn’t have to elaborate anymore. Renjun must have nodded without any thought because not a moment later, their lips collided. It was soft and gentle, the way Jeno always was with him, but it was just as short as it was sweet. 

Jeno had already pulled away by the time Renjun had fully comprehended the situation. His only reminder was the sweet tingle from his lips and Jeno’s curled fingers in his hair. Oh and the burning blush on his cheeks. 

“Goodnight,” Jeno murmured, blushing just as hard as he was. His hand dropped from Renjun’s hair as he took a step back. Renjun was shocked to find himself pleased at the sight of Jeno being just as breathless as he was. 

Everything from there felt like a blur. He couldn’t even remember stepping into Jeno’s bedroom alone or shutting the door behind him. All he could hear was the thumping of his heart and the echo of Jeno’s retreating footstep. But through the flurry of his heart and churning of his gut, Renjun concluded that he wouldn’t mind if his Christmases looked like this for the rest of his life. As his back slid down the door and his hand clenched over his heart, he decided he’d relive it over and over just to feel the flutter of Jeno’s soft lips on his again. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading my first nct work on here ^^  
> i spent way too much time writing this and am now posting it so late, i hope it was enjoyable!!  
> [ i may be continuing this au with a markhyuck spinoff soon, so stay tuned! ]
> 
> kudos n comments are greatly appreciated <3 lmk what u thought!


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